WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Americans in most states who tried to
apply for medical coverage under President Barack Obama's
healthcare law by a March 31 deadline but met with technical
difficulties will get an automatic extension to enroll,
officials said on Wednesday.

The new federal guidelines apply to consumers in the 36
states served by the federal health insurance marketplace and
its website, HealthCare.gov. Monday is the cut-off date for
choosing a health plan in 2014.

"Just like Election Day, if you are in line when the polls
close you get to vote. We won't close the door on those who
tried to get covered and were unable to do so through no fault
of their own," said Julie Bataille, spokeswoman for the Centers
for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the agency overseeing the
healthcare law rollout.

People who tried to enroll by the March 31 deadline for
health coverage under the Affordable Care Act, popularly known
as Obamacare, will be allowed in during a grace period in April.

More than 5 million people have signed up for the new health
plans so far, the administration said, suggesting it may exceed
forecasts for a total of 6 million new enrollees by the end of
this month.

More recent applicants may have experienced technical
problems on HealthCare.gov or long wait times at federal call
centers as traffic spikes ahead of the deadline.

"CMS will process information related to paper applications
received by April 7 to capture those consumers who were 'in
line' with paper applications or whose applications were pending
submission or review of supporting documentation on March 31,"
CMS said in a statement.

Those people will be able to select a plan through April 30
for coverage effective May 1, provided they pay their first
month's premium by the deadline set by their chosen insurer.

Obama's health reform law requires most Americans to be
enrolled in health coverage by March 31 or pay a penalty. It was
not clear how much of an effort a potential applicant would have
to make in order to qualify for special enrollment status.

"The reality is that consumers have to attest to the fact
that they were eligible for this coverage," Bataille said in a
conference call with reporters.

There was no indication the government would or could verify
that the applicants had made an effort to enroll before Monday.

Bataille downplayed the potential for fraud, noting that it
was an official application for federal benefits and "most
people are truthful when applying for those benefits."

The federal government call centers and website have been
experiencing unprecedented demand in recent weeks, with 1.2
million visits to HealthCare.gov on Tuesday alone and half a
million calls answered at call centers, Bataille said.